The invention relates to computer peripheral equipment and in particular to printers configured to interface with a portable maintenance terminals for accessing maintenance information and updating printer software/firmware.
The modern office environment typically includes multiple computer workstations, each workstation or group of workstations connected to a nearby printer. It often falls to members of an Information Systems or other computer support staff to maintain, not only the workstations, but the peripheral equipment including printers. In some cases, these printers may be accessible, either directly or indirectly, via connecting workstations, so that a network administrator can update printer resident software and/or firmware and perform other maintenance checks, tests, and functions. However, not all printers are accessible via a network nor are all functions necessarily accessible. Further, printer maintenance personnel must often be physically present at a printer location to perform certain maintenance tasks, such as changing toner cartridges, cleaning the print engine, etc. so that it may be convenient to perform other maintenance locally at the printer rather than via remote access. However, even if available, local access to the printer may require gaining access to the attached computer, loading the appropriate maintenance routines, establishing communications with the printer, downloading maintenance data from the printer to the computer and uploading software/firmware updates to the printer, etc. Alternatively, maintenance personnel can transport the printers to a central maintenance facility to perform these maintenance tasks. Obviously, such an approach is costly in terms of effort and printer downtime.
Accordingly, a need exists for a system for and method of performing on site maintenance on computer peripheral and other equipment dispersed about a location without requiring use of attached terminal equipment. A further need exists for a maintenance capability and functionality in support of local maintenance of printers.
The present invention is directed to a system and method for providing for local maintenance of a computer peripheral device such as a printer or scanner without use of computer systems, communication networks or other facilities permanently connected to the printer. The invention provides a portable, handheld maintenance terminal that communicates with a printer using an infrared or other wireless data link. Both the portable maintenance terminal and all printers include appropriate wireless transceivers to establish a wireless link therebetween. The portable maintenance terminal has software and data stored in an internal memory for downloading diagnosic software and/or copying upgraded firmware, font or other data, codes and routines to a printer as appropriate. The wireless link also supports transmission of maintenance data from the printers to the portable maintenance terminal. Such maintenance data may include printer serial number, total pages printed, pages printed since last maintenance, toner level, error codes, results of routine and specialized diagnostic routines, identification of software and firmware used by the printer, etc. The portable maintenance terminal may include a graphic display showing the relative placement, identification, status, and other information about the peripheral devices and may further guide a maintenance technician to and among the devices and provide instructions for interfacing, uploading, downloading, and performing required preventative, routine and/or suggested maintenance. The portable maintenance terminal may be a conventional personal digital assistant (PDA) or other form of portable, preferably handheld, computer programmed to support these maintenance functions. The peripheral device may be a printer having an integral infrared transceiver.
According to an aspect of the invention, a printer includes an enclosure with a transceiver attached to the enclosure. The transceiver is configured and oriented to establish a wireless communication channel with a remote unit. According to one aspect of the invention, the transceiver includes infrared (IR) detector and emitter circuitry to receive and send IR signals. A print engine is also mounted in the enclosure and has a printer interface including a connector configured to terminate a printer cable connecting the printer to a remote computer. A controller (i) functions to control the print engine in response to a print signal received at the connector, and (ii) is connected to the remote unit via the wireless communication channel to download software from the remote unit and provide maintenance data to the remote unit. The connection providing the print signal e.g., from, a local computer, may be via an appropriate parallel or serial printer port. Maintenance data provided by the controller to the remote unit may include (i) printer serial number, (ii) firmware version, (iii) RAM status, (iv) toner level, (v) pages printed, (vi) error codes, or other information generated or stored by the peripheral. The transceiver may implement an Infrared Data Association (IrDA) protocol.
According to another aspect of the invention, a portable, handheld maintenance terminal obtains maintenance data from, and downloads software to, each of a plurality of peripheral devices. The terminal includes an appropriate housing or handheld enclosure with an infrared transceiver device configured to establish bidirectional wireless communications with the peripheral devices. A display provides for the presentation of information and tactile control using, for example, virtual buttons and soft keys, etc. A memory stores appropriate programming for the device together with software to be downloaded to the peripheral devices and maintenance data uploaded from the peripheral devices. The operation of the portable maintenance terminal is controlled by a programmable microprocessor mounted in the enclosure and configured to (i) download from a remote maintenance terminal, into the memory, software used by each of the plurality of peripheral devices and (ii) selectively establish a bidirectional data communications link with each of the plurality of peripheral devices. The microprocessor further uploads, from each of the plurality of peripheral devices, to the memory, maintenance data stored by the peripheral devices and downloads, to selected ones of the peripheral devices, updated software from the memory. Finally, data from memory is uploaded under microprocessor control to the remote maintenance terminal, the maintenance data being stored by the peripheral devices.
According to a feature of the invention, a routing function performed by the microprocessor determines, for each of the peripheral devices, nearby ones of the peripheral devices for which a maintenance activity is indicated and causes the display to provide an indication thereof. The routing capability may take into consideration the urgency of the maintenance to be performed, proximity of devices, time available, and other factors in determining a xe2x80x9cminimum walkxe2x80x9d and most efficient itinerary for performing maintenance. Thus, the processor is further configured to generate a graphical representation of locations of the peripheral devices so that the display provides a static or moving map display including the graphical representation identifying a present location of the portable maintenance terminal on the map display.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method of determining a status of a plurality of dispersed, peripheral devices and updating software stored by the peripheral devices requires that a portable, handheld maintenance terminal be positioned near one of the peripheral devices. A bidirectional wireless communications link is established between the handheld maintenance terminal and the one peripheral device, and maintenance information concerning and stored by the one peripheral device is uploaded from the one peripheral device to the handheld maintenance terminal. Conversely, software for execution by the one peripheral device is selectively downloaded from the handheld maintenance device to the one peripheral device. Upon completion of the data exchange, the maintenance terminal is moved to the next peripheral device, wireless communications established, and the processes is continued until all devices are addressed.
According to a feature of the invention, the wireless transceiver operates in the IR spectrum and is positioned into such optical alignment with an infrared transceiver of the one peripheral device to enable establishment of the wireless communications link therebetween. According to another feature, an identify of the one peripheral device (e.g., make, model, serial number, processor identity, BIOS, software versions, etc.) is transmitted to the terminal device together with and an indication of a number of operations performed by the peripheral device since a prior uploading operation had been performed. The number of operations may include a number of pages printed.
According to another feature of the invention, a determination is made of a version of software being run by the peripheral device, the version is compared with a latest version of the software available, and, in response, any appropriate software updates are downloaded to the peripheral device.